Read a full match report of the Champions League game between Manchester
United and AC Milan at Old Trafford on Wednesday March 10 2010.

They came to praise Wayne Rooney and bury the Glazers. They came to praise David Beckham and bury AC Milan. This was a surreal as well as starry night, the occasion flitting between testimonial, celebration and revolution.

If Beckham’s return was a side-show, albeit an emotional one for all parties, the most significant noises off involved the extraordinary choruses of dissent towards United’s reviled American owners. When Beckham donned an anti-Glazer scarf, becoming Green-and-Goldenballs, two stories elided.

As Beckham disappeared down memory lane, United fans loudly voiced their hope that the Glazers could be consigned to history.

Nobody can now dismiss the opposition towards the Glazers as the rumblings of a minority movement; at least half the stadium seemed involved in the anti-Glazer demonstration, either chanting, holding large banners declaring “Love United Hate Glazer’’ or simply twirling their green-and-gold scarves above their heads.

Waves of revulsion roll over the Glazers, although whether that persuades them to sell such a revenue-generating, trophy-collecting sporting institution as United remains to be seen.

Whatever the size of their gargantuan debt, United boast a richness of playing talent. Rooney was again unplayable, scoring two more goals, reminding everybody what a magnificent menace he is when deployed up top.

Ji-sung Park delivered one of his most accomplished displays for United, fulfilling Sir Alex Ferguson’s instruction to stifle Andrea Pirlo and then finding time to score.

Darren Fletcher, industry personified, added a late fourth, fitting reward for a sweat-soaked shift in the boiler-room. Out wide, Antonio Valencia and Nani tortured Milan’s full-backs.

Paul Scholes entertained the crowd with an epic challenge on Mathieu Flamini, the United midfielder storming in off the type of lengthy run-up usually seen at the other Old Trafford. Perhaps remembering past encounters against United with Arsenal, Flamini wisely jumped out of the way.

The English were too quick, too powerful, too mobile and too decisive in possession for Milan, whose ageing players ran into the perfect storm, a red-flecked tempest blowing through them as if they were mannequins. And to think people feared such a strong collective of players as Ferguson’s would be lost without Cristiano Ronaldo this season.

On a night when United showed what a well-balanced force they are in Europe, Ronaldo and Real Madrid slumped out of the Champions League. The irony.

Ronaldo may head the European scoring lists with seven but Rooney hurtles upwards, all his four goals coming against Milan. If Juventus are La Vecchia Signora, Milan are the Old Man.

However many anti-ageing miracles they perform in that famous Milan Lab, they cannot escape the reality that the team urgently need rejuvenating, looking towards the Pato generation not the Beckham.

Unlike Rooney. The United forward’s first goal arrived after 13 minutes. When Ronaldinho failed to track back with Gary Neville, the full-back had time and space to lift over a magnificent cross, the ball dropping perfectly towards the penalty spot where Rooney was lurking with intent. Daniele Bonera had dozed off, gifting Rooney the freedom to make a twisting leap, powering an unstoppable header past Christian Abbiati.

Once again, Rooney’s prolific success up top for United provided further food for thought for Fabio Capello, although the England manager is adamant that Rooney will play in the hole at the World Cup. Rooney is a threat wherever he is fielded but Ferguson clearly believes he is most effective as the front man.

Rooney’s goal meant Milan required three, a mission impossible for younger legs, let alone these rusting limbs. Leonardo’s visitors might have scored before Rooney struck, Ronaldinho heading wide and then Huntelaar’s touch letting him down badly. United withstood these early scares, plumping up their cushion through Rooney, who added a second shortly half-time.

Ferguson’s interval instruction to “keep the tempo up’’ was certainly heeded by his players. Nani showed his threat on the counter, racing away from Ignazio Abate and then playing a sublime ball with the outside of his right foot behind Milan’s defence. Rooney scarcely had to break stride to slide the ball past Abbiati.

Milan, a great club needing a new direction, could have pulled one back but Huntelaar headed over from Abate’s cross, summing up their abject performance. United showed Milan how to finish just before the hour-mark, following a Valencia dart down the right. When he laid the ball back to Scholes, Milan’s defence was even more of a mess, ripe for the taking.

Scholes rolled the ball through to Park, who promptly placed his shot from right to left past poor Abbiati.

The game then turned into a testimonial with the arrival of a moist-eyed Beckham, who was greeted with genuinely heartfelt cheers and chants from United fans and ironic shouts of “Fergie, Fergie sign him up’’.

Beckham, his best years long gone, looked overwhelmed by the fans’ reaction.

So did his mother sitting in the directors’ box.

So used to creating chances for United in his pomp, Beckham inadvertently almost fashioned another for them. Underhitting a back-pass, Beckham allowed Nani a run at goal before Milan’s defenders managed to remember seemingly long-forgotten skills, re-organising to thwart Nani.

Alternating saluting Beckham and slaughtering Glazer, the Stretford End finished with the pleasure of Fletcher’s goal two-minutes from time, the Scot heading past Abbiati. As Beckham heads into the sunset, United head into the last eight.